The rest of the yoga session, Steve stayed close to Ken, his eyes warily watching Kaden as he walked around the room. If the guy was ever behind him, Steve made sure to turn his whole body so he was not left vulnerable.
All in all, the session was quite productive. Ken felt his stiff muscles relax, bringing with it a sense of relief.
"Thanks Kaden, it went a lot better than expected." Ken said after it had finished. He didn't know why he didn't keep up his yoga routine earlier.
"No problem man. You're welcome anytime." He replied, watching the girls leave the room.
"If you don't mind me asking… What did you say to the girls about me?" Ken asked.
"Hmm? Oh I just said that you've got a weird foot fetish, that way they'll keep their distance from you." Kaden replied nonchalantly.
"Eh!? What the hell is a foot fetish?"
"You don't know? It's when…" Kaden then explained the ins and outs of the fetish, causing Ken's face to turn different shades of red as he continued.
Ken was silent for a few moments before replying, "So you basically told them that I was a pervert?" He asked, his tone ice cold.
"H—Hey man. I kept the girls away from you right?"
The sound of Ken's voice paired with his tall stature was rather scary, prompting Kaden to retreat slowly. Thankfully, the guy seemed to have accepted his fate and let out a deep sigh.
"Don't spread any more weird rumors please… I don't want this to follow me into my professional career." Ken's face showed his annoyance, but he had to admit that what Kaden did was effective.
Kaden nodded like a pecking chicken, "Don't worry man, I'll keep your secrets safe."
"What? I don't have a foot fetish…"
"Yep! Heard you loud and clear." He responded with a wink.
Ken felt his annoyance surging, so he quickly decided to leave. "Steve, let's go get some breakfast." He said, heading out of the room.
As the two left, Kaden let out a peel of laughter. "Man, that guy is so fun to tease."
"I'd be careful bro, just remember he'll probably be pitching against you at the intersquad match." Ayden reminded his brother.
"Ah crap…" Kaden's face morphed into one of regret. "Maybe I should have waited until it was over." He muttered.
"Mmm, I certainly don't want a 100mph beanball coming at me." Ayden said, his body shuddering.
"O—Oi, you don't think he would do that right?"
Ayden shrugged, "He looked kind of pissed. Plus, that other guy was the freshman catcher. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy calls for it when you're up to bat."
"OH NO! What have I done!" Kaden's expression faltered as he fell to his knees in dramatic fashion. It turned out that he had likely just signed his death warrant, messing with the freshman battery.
However, his face turned fierce in the next moment.
"Ayden… My dear brother." He said, gripping the guy's hand with both of his own.
"W—What?"
"Remember that time back in High School…"
"No… Absolutely not."
However, Kaden persisted. "Man, you owe me big time for back then."
Fear gripped Ayden's face for a moment before he shook his head vehemently. "No! I'm not taking a beanball for your crimes. I don't care if you tell mom that I crashed her car, It's not worth losing my life."
With that, Ayden bolted for the door, leaving his brother on his knees, cursing.
Meanwhile, Ken and Steve returned to the dorms and showered before going to get some breakfast. The two had been silent most of the morning, both scarred from their yoga session this morning.
While one had been touched inappropriately by another man, the other's image had been smeared, leading to the two being in a sour mood.
"We need to get back at him…" Steve said, barely touching his food. His eyes were dark, showing just how annoyed he was.
"Mmm… But how?"
The two sat in silence for a while in front of their meals, plotting their revenge.
"How about you hit him with your bat by 'accident' when you're practicing your swing." Steve suggested, his face morphing into a dark grin.
"You want me to kill him?"
"Mmm, you're right. It needs to look like an accident, but not cause too much damage."
In the next moment Steve's expression brightened, as if he'd come up with a foolproof plan. "Bro! The intersquad match is coming up at the end of the week. It's where they put the freshman and 2nd string players against the main team."
Ken froze before his trademark grin appeared, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Kekekeke~" Steve's evil laugh echoed in the cafeteria, evoking some weird looks from the other students in the vicinity. Ignoring them, he continued, "No one will be able to complain if we flick a beanball right at him."
Ken blinked a few times, considering Steve's obscure choice of words. "Do you have to say it like that?"
"What are you talking about? It's called a beanball…" Steve replied innocently.
"Never mind…"
"Anyway, I'll call for a few 'strikes' and you'll miss the zone. That way, people won't think it's suspicious when we hit him." Steve continued, his mischievous smile in full effect.
But Ken frowned, "This will be my first time pitching in front of everyone. I don't want them to think that I suck."
"Ah… That's true." He thought deeply once again, "What if I call for some breaking balls just outside the zone. That way no one will have any issues with your pitching."
"Dude, how about you just call for an inside ball and I'll aim for his ass. That way he won't get injured and I can say that the ball slipped." Ken retorted, losing his motivation.
"Right… That's a good idea. Just make sure you hit him, we'll only get one shot."
"Heh, just who do you think you're talking to?"